WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Olivia Nash leads Oakland to win at Kansas City

KANSAS CITY. - Olivia Nash scored 16 points to lead three players in double figures for Oakland (8-10, 2-4) in a 55-46 Summit League road win over Kansas City (5-13, 1-4) on Thursday at the Swinney Recreation Center.

"We showed really good mental toughness at key moments," said Oakland head coach Beckie Francis. "Kansas City made some runs at us, but our team got critical stops, forced turnovers and made some big shots. It was a great team victory."

Nash scored 14 of her 16 points after halftime, as the Golden Grizzlies pulled away by shooting 48.1 percent from the field in the second half. Victoria Lipscomb added 15 points and eight rebounds to go with a career-high four blocks. Elena Popkey scored 14 points and had a career-best four steals.

The defense keyed the win for Oakland, holding the Kangaroos to 35.3 percent shooting from the field and 12.5 percent from beyond the arc. Oakland forced 18 turnovers and came away with 10 steals. The Black and Gold scored 14 points off of Kansas City turnovers.

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Oakland led 25-21 at the half before the Kangaroos cut the lead to 31-29 at the 12:09 mark. Sinclair Russell drained a jumper that sparked Oakland on an 11-4 run. The Golden Grizzlies led by as many as 12 points in the second half.

Eilise O'Connor finished with 26 points to lead Kansas City. She was the only UMKC player to score more than four points.

The Golden Grizzlies shot 43.4 percent from the field in the game.

With the win, Francis moved into a tie for third most career wins as a Summit League coach with 192. That equals former Western Illinois coach Leslie Crane.

The Golden Grizzlies continue the Summit League road swing on Saturday against South Dakota 3 p.m.